Heritage breeds for meat

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

The BSW is a good meat heritage turkey but of the 6 varieties we raise I would have to rate them last on the taste scale. It's kind of hard to describe but they don't have that "extra" turkey taste like Bourbon red or Midget.

Steve

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

thanks for sharing that steve!

 

[Lagerdogger]

I free-ranged a number of breeds of heritage turkeys this year to 28 1/2 weeks. I made sure they always had 28% or 22% feed available to them. They ate a lot of grass, but did go through a bit of feed as well. Finished turkeys ranged from 6 lb for a midget white hen to 22 lbs for a bronze tom, and I think my average was right around 16 lb. I sent out evaluation forms with every one, and got most of them back. Everyone thought there was plenty of meat and almost every one thought they were better than store turkeys (no one thought they were worse). The Royal Palms do have a different shape to the breast meat, but I thought there was more than it looked like when we ate ours. At Thanksgiving, we cooked a Royal Palm tom that was 16 lb and a St bronze hen that was 13 lb. They were both excellent, even though the hen got a little overcooked (my wife turned the oven a little hotter to "speed things up").

My conversion rate was close to 4 lb feed per pound live weight (85 lb of feed for 22 lb live wt.), but like I said, they had plenty of grass to eat. Last year was a poor year for grasshoppers, so we did not get much benefit from insects.

At 28 weeks, some of the birds were more filled out than others. I think my bronzes were ready at 25 weeks, and they were definitley the most filled out at butchering time. 28 weeks was about right for the Bourbon reds and Royal Palms. The Narragansetts probably could have used a couple more weeks to fill out.

It would be interesting to hear if other people have noticed different rates of plumping out in different breeds. You always hear 28 to 30 weeks for heritage strains, but I think it may vary even more than that, depending on the strain.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

It does vary from variety to variety. Also, the heritage breeds haven't been really been bred for meat in a long time when you think about it. The Beltsville Small White and Midget where the last to be used for commercial growing. Anybody that has them will notice a more uniform grow out rate in them than others. If you are breeding for meat you have to be very selective in your breeding stock. Keeping only the fastest growers with the best conversion rates. Since you are only breeding them once a year it's a long process. People breeding for show want them to make APA weight but not go over.

Steve

 

[Jake Levi]

Murray McMurray was mentioned as a source, but, they dont raise thiers, they have them dropshipped to their customers,

two breeders that have excellent turkeys that they breed are Duane Urch and Porter Turkeys, google them both, great looking birds too, for eating or showing. Porter also has some new colors.

 

[homesteady]

Will turkeys free range with chickens in a large field, or do they not mix well?

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
We have always raised ours together and they do fine.

Steve

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Quote:
Seems few hatcheries do raise their own turkeys. Ideal stated on BYC this week they raise all of their breeders but the Turkeys. It was not said who raised the turkeys.